These are the plants most people call geraniums: the zonal, ivy-leaf, regal and scented-leaf types that fill window boxes every summer. Botanically they are pelargoniums, tender perennials hardy only in about zones 10 and 11. The true hardy geraniums, or cranesbills, are a different genus that comes back on its own in cold gardens and is usually divided, not cut.

Here’s the annoying bit: the usual softwood advice works against pelargoniums. A clear bag and a soggy mix suit basil or coleus, but pelargonium stems are fleshy and rot in still, humid air. Most failures are a cutting kept too wet, not too dry.

Before you cut, write down three things: the variety or flower color, how healthy the parent looks, and your average first fall frost date. Those decide which shoots to take and how many weeks the young plants have before they come indoors.

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12 pelargonium cuttings steps from start to new growth

The steps follow one shoot from the parent plant to a rooted young plant in its own pot. Most take a minute. Steps 9 to 12 are mostly waiting, and that’s where cuttings usually die.

1. Record the parent plant and date

Note the variety, flower color, leaf type (zonal, ivy, regal or scented), the date and how many cuttings you took. Ten unlabeled red zonals look identical once they lose their flowers.

The date matters most. It tells you when to start looking for roots, which is around week 3, and stops you from tugging at cuttings in week 1.

2. Keep one backup cutting

Take 2 or 3 more cuttings than the plants you want. Losses of 1 in 5 are common, mostly from stem rot at the base.

If the parent is a variety you can’t replace, root a second small batch 2 to 3 weeks after the first. A failed batch then costs you weeks, not the plant.

3. Know when seed is the better method

Zonal pelargoniums grown as seed strains are cheap to raise from seed, but they need 12 to 16 weeks from sowing to flowers, and named varieties don’t come true. Seed is only worth it when you want many bedding plants of a seed-raised series.

For a favorite plant, a scented-leaf type, a regal or a double-flowered zonal, cuttings are the only way to get the same plant again.

4. Choose healthy starting material

Pick firm, green, non-flowering shoots with leaves close together. Skip shoots with buds if you can, or pinch the buds off, because a flowering cutting puts its energy into the bloom.

Leave alone any parent with black, sunken stem bases, yellow-edged leaves with brown spots, or fuzzy gray mold. Cuttings carry those problems with them.

5. Prepare labels before cutting

Write labels for each pot with variety and date before you pick up the snips. A pencil or a paint marker on a plastic label lasts a whole season outdoors, where ordinary felt pen fades in 4 to 6 weeks of sun.

Push labels in at the pot edge so you can read them without brushing the leaves of a cutting that is just starting to root.

6. Cut just below a leaf joint

Cut a shoot 3 to 4 inches long with clean bypass snips, then trim straight across just below a node, the slight bump where a leaf joins the stem. Roots form fastest from that point.

Strip all but the top 2 or 3 leaves, and pull off the small papery flaps (stipules) at the lower nodes, since they rot in the mix. If the top leaves are very large, cut them in half to cut water loss.

7. Limit moisture loss while handling

Pelargonium stems hold plenty of water, so a cutting won’t collapse in the time it takes to prepare a tray. Still, keep collected shoots in the shade and pot them within an hour.

Some gardeners let the cut ends dry for an hour or two before potting, which can reduce rot on very fleshy regal and zonal stems. I’d only bother with the really thick ones.

8. Use a clean, gritty rooting mix

Use about half fresh seed-starting mix and half perlite or coarse sand. Avoid garden soil and old potting mix, which can carry the fungi that cause blackleg.

Fill 3 inch pots or a cell tray with drainage holes, push each cutting about 1 inch deep, and firm lightly. Five cuttings fit around the rim of a 4 inch pot. Rooting hormone is not needed; pelargoniums root well without it.

9. Give new roots air as well as moisture

Water once to settle the mix, then let the surface dry before watering again. Indoors that may be every 5 to 7 days.

Leave the pots uncovered. A plastic bag or dome traps moisture on the leaves and is the quickest way to gray mold. A stem that turns black and soft from the base up is rotting, and the only fix is to throw it out.

10. Hold light and temperature steady

Keep pots in bright, indirect light, or 6 to 12 inches under a grow light for 12 to 14 hours a day, at about 60 to 70°F. A windowsill with a few hours of gentle morning sun works too.

Avoid hot midday sun through glass, which scorches cuttings with no roots to replace lost water. Pick one spot and leave them there; moving pots around slows rooting.

11. Disturb developing roots as little as possible

Resist the urge to lift cuttings to look. New roots are white, thin and brittle, and snap off easily in the first 2 weeks.

If space is tight, a tray of cuttings takes about 1 square foot of windowsill for 20 plants. Leave enough room to reach the back row with a narrow-spout can without knocking the front one.

12. Look for real root or shoot evidence

Fresh leaves at the tip and a cutting that resists a very gentle tug are the signs that count. White roots poking from drainage holes confirm it. That usually happens 3 to 4 weeks after cutting, longer in a cool room.

A cutting that still looks fresh but hasn’t grown isn’t necessarily rooted. Pelargonium stems can stay green for weeks on stored water alone.

Choose and prepare pelargonium cutting material

Pelargoniums are among the easiest tender perennials to root from soft shoots, as the RHS guide to tender perennial cuttings explains. The main windows are late summer, from about 6 to 8 weeks before your first fall frost, and spring, from plants kept indoors over winter.

Late summer cuttings are the most popular because one parent can give 10 or more new plants that overwinter on a windowsill, while the old plant is left outside or discarded. Spring cuttings from an overwintered plant flower by early summer.

A short record keeps each batch straight:

Record item	What to write
Parent plant	Variety, flower color, leaf type, health of the stems
Cutting day	Date, number taken, length, frost date
Week 1 to 2	Any wilting, black stem bases, gray mold
Week 3 to 4	New tip leaves, gentle tug, roots at the holes
Potting on	Date, pot size, number that rooted

If the same plant performed well this year, take cuttings from it before frost. Red zonals in terracotta are a staple of Mexican patio decor ideas, and one parent can fill a row of pots by next summer.

Control moisture, light and rooting conditions

Fall is the tricky season, because houses get cool and dim just as most people take their cuttings. Below about 55°F, rooting slows and the mix stays wet for days, which invites rot. Move the tray to your warmest bright window, or under a grow light. Nothing else helps as much.

Water from below or with a narrow spout at the pot edge, never over the leaves. Pelargoniums are drought tolerant, and a cutting kept slightly dry roots better than one kept damp.

Clean pots do more than any additive. Wash pots in hot, soapy water before reuse, and keep your snips clean between parent plants. Fungicide dips are rarely needed on a small scale; if you use one, follow the label.

Recognize real root establishment

A rooted pelargonium cutting shows new leaves unfolding at the tip, a firm stem base and a slight resistance when tugged. Slide one out of its pot only if you need to be sure: a rooted cutting holds the mix together with fine white roots.

Yellowing lower leaves are normal as a cutting uses its stored food. Yellowing that climbs to the top, plus a soft, dark base, means rot. Remove it straight away so it doesn’t spread to the rest of the tray.

Move the new pelargonium plant into independent growth

When roots show at the holes, usually by week 4 to 6, move each cutting to its own 4 inch pot of regular potting mix. Pinch out the tip once the plant has 5 or 6 leaves to make it bushy rather than tall.

Fall cuttings stay indoors until 1 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost, in the brightest spot you have, watered only when the mix dries. Start feeding at half the label rate once spring growth begins. By planting time they are ready for 8 to 12 inch pots or window boxes, set about 10 to 12 inches apart.

From then on, routine care like deadheading, feeding and winter storage is covered in pelargonium care for beginners. Pelargoniums are listed by the ASPCA as toxic to cats and dogs, so keep trays of cuttings out of reach of pets that chew leaves.

If you like the idea of plants that do the rooting while still attached, propagating strawberry runners is an easy next project for summer.

FAQ

What should I know before planning pelargonium cuttings?

First confirm you have a tender pelargonium, not a hardy geranium, since only pelargoniums are grown from cuttings this way. Then count back 6 to 8 weeks from your first fall frost to find your late summer window. Pick a healthy parent with firm, green shoots and write the variety on a label first.

How much space does pelargonium cuttings need?

Very little. Twenty cuttings fit in about 1 square foot of tray, and each later needs a 4 inch pot on a bright windowsill over winter. By spring, plan about 10 to 12 inches between plants in a box or bed, or one plant per 8 inch pot.

What is the simplest way to start pelargonium cuttings?

Cut five 3 to 4 inch shoot tips, strip the lower leaves and push them around the rim of a 4 inch pot filled with half seed mix and half perlite. Water once, leave it uncovered in bright light, and wait about 3 weeks before checking for new growth.

What common mistakes should I avoid with pelargonium cuttings?

The big one is overwatering, followed closely by covering cuttings with plastic. Both lead to black stem rot. Others are taking flowering shoots, leaving stipules on the buried stem, and putting trays in hot direct sun before roots form.

How do I maintain pelargonium cuttings over time?

Water only when the mix surface is dry, give 12 to 14 hours of bright light, and remove any yellowing or rotting cutting at once. Once potted on, pinch tips for bushiness and feed lightly in spring. Stop watering and check the base if a plant wilts in moist mix.

When should I get local or expert advice about pelargonium cuttings?

Ask a local extension office or nursery if several parent plants show leaf spots, wilting with stem discoloration or ring patterns on leaves, since bacterial and viral diseases spread through cuttings. Your extension office can also give your average first and last frost dates, which set the cutting and planting windows.

Final thoughts

Pelargonium cuttings want less fuss than you think. Take a clean shoot, give it gritty mix and no cover, then wait 3 to 4 weeks. The hard part is keeping the watering can away.

Before your first fall frost, choose your healthiest plant, take five 3 to 4 inch tips, and start a record with the date and variety. The RHS advice on tender perennial cuttings is worth a read alongside it if you want to try other tender plants in the same tray.

Last update on 2026-10-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API